PH testing bird flu vaccines from 4 manufacturers

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) is testing the efficacy of avian influenza (AI) vaccines manufactured by four international pharmaceutical companies as it gears up for a vaccination drive.

The BAI did not disclose the identity of the vaccine manufacturers, but only said they came from Europe, South America and the United States.

“We are currently working on the guidelines for AI vaccination,” BAI director Paul Limson said, adding the companies have already presented results of their field trials.

Local guidelines, however, subject the candidate vaccines to a field trial before they could be administered to ensure these are safe and effective.

“We have to conduct the testing of the vaccine in a strategic manner and determine its effectivity so that the producers will be happy in the long run,” he said.

“All we have to do is to assess them and then endorse to [the] FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for the issuance of the import permit so we can try the vaccine,” he told reporters.

Limson said they would be holding another round of discussions with industry stakeholders and the Philippine College of Poultry Practitioners to solicit their inputs on the proposed rules on AI vaccination.

He also assured it would be easier for the government to procure the vaccines if the need arises.

In a separate development, the second field trial for the African swine fever (ASF) vaccine is ongoing and will be completed by September this year.

“They are (the FDA) probably waiting for us to complete the field trial and then they will act on it,” Limson added.

The BAI has endorsed the Vietnam-manufactured VAC ASF Live Vaccine to the FDA as clinical tests covering six farms in Luzon revealed it does not have side or ill effects.

It had said the ASF vaccine could cost around P600 per dose.

As of July 14, the provinces of Pampanga and Kalinga still have active cases of bird flu, data from the BAI showed.

Meanwhile, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Bataan, Tarlac, Zambales, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Sultan Kudarat, Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Sur have active ASF cases as of June 29. INQ